Selling with a Difficult Tenant

Question: I have a Seller Client who wants to list a Townhome with a (currently) disagreeable Tenant. Tenant is paying far under market rent, and apparently said, “I’m not going …

Time Limit on Residential Leases

Essentially, there’s no time limit on a residential Lease. The provisions under the Residential Tenancies Act prevail over any agreement between the Landlord and the Tenant. While many tenancies start …

Looking for Better Tenants?

The Residential Tenancies Act provides that Tenants have the automatic right to renewal FOREVER. That’s not good if you are the Landlord. If your property is subject to “rent control”, …

Tenants: Cash for Keys

If you are looking for a specific section in the Residential Tenancies Act referring to “cash for keys”, you won’t find it. It’s not there. This is simply a “work …

Tenants: Good or Bad?

Well, ordinarily you would think that you should be looking for good tenants. But, this is Ontario, and Ontario laws apply including the Residential Tenancies Act. So, who owns your …

Residential Tenancies Act ~ Evictions

If you are a residential landlord or you are contemplating becoming one, you should have a look at some of the rules. The Residential Tenancies Act came into force in January 2007, …

Small Apartment Complexes

A number of clients will ask about small multi-unit apartments. Are they good investments? Do they make sense? What’s the cash flow? How do you manage tenants? And, more importantly, …

Negotiate it in the Offer!

Leases That’s simple enough advice. It’s easy to follow. And, no one gets hurt. So, what’s the problem? No one wants to do it. It’s too costly, it’s too time …

Basement Apartments: A Tale of Two Cities

There is $25,000 available for basement apartments in two different cities. In Calgary, it’s in the form of a grant, and in Brampton, it’s in the form of a fine. So, whether the municipality pays you, …